As I watch the first preseason game of the year for the Washington Wizards one thing I’m noticing (besides the new uniforms and court design) is the #1 pick of the 2010 draft, John Wall, really is back. After missing portions of last season with injuries to his left foot and right knee his explosiveness wasn’t the same when he returned and he rarely blew by his defender as we know he’s capable of. Wall hadn’t yet developed a consistent outside shot he could rely on so he was most effective using his speed and quickness to penetrate and either get to the hoop or create shots for others. That being said Wall was still pretty good and ended the season with a more than respectable rookie stat line of 16.4 points, 8.3 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game.

I saw video clips of Wall over the summer playing in various exhibition games and got to see him in person at the first matchup between L.A.’s Drew League and Washington D.C.’s Goodman League. Yes the games didn’t matter (unless you want to believe the guys were playing for bragging rights). Yes defense was essentially non-existent, as you would expect it to be in games that are more about putting on a show than playing sound fundamental basketball. But one thing was on display: John Wall’s fast is faster than your fast. If you missed any of his summer hoops displays here are a few.

No, Wall hasn’t pulled any ridiculous And1 BallUp type moves like he did in the above video clips in tonight’s game but he has showed the same pace and agility in leading the Wizards on the fast break and is getting into the paint with relative ease. If this is the type of John Wall we’re going to see this season, the John Wall we saw before he sustained the injuries that nagged him for the remainder of his rookie year, we could be in store for a breakout season by young Mr. Wall.

Are the Wizards going to make the playoffs (Playoffs?!) this year? Unless quite a few things go right, probably not. But a healthy Wall as the key to the Wizards engine should, at the least, make them a fun team to watch. His ability to drive the lane and cause defenses to collapse can make things easy for Rashard Lewis and Nick Young (if he comes back) on the perimeter. Wall leading the fast break with Andray Blatche on one wing and the human pogo stick that is JaVale McGee on the other could be a recipe for quite a few SportsCenter highlight reels.

I’ve always been a fan of point guards and Wall is definitely one of the better young ones in the league. He would have won Rookie of the Year if it wasn’t for a guy who plays for the Clippers named Blake Griffin. Don’t let the fact that Wall plays for a Wizards team that only won 23 games last season cause you to not tune in. If he continues to improve his jumper defenders won’t be able to lay off and let him shoot. And if a defender is even with John Wall the way he’s looking right now, this might happen.